Foodie. Feminist. Wanderluster.

Three Books: For Mother’s Day

Since it’s World Book Day (one of the best days of the year for book nerds like me), a book haul is most certainly due. I fell in love with reading back when I was much younger (but not much smaller) and in my mum’s bed as she read books such as The Faraway Tree and The Chronicles of Narnia to my brother and me. My mum would often take us to a bookshop and let us pick out a little book each; in the summer my mum took my brother and I to the library to participate in a reading challenge they hosted. The short of it is that I’ve definitely inherited my love of books from my mum. Although we argue frequently and passionately about which is better─the physical book or eBook (naturally, the correct side of the argument is the physical book)─I love buying my mum new books. For Mother’s Day I’ve bought my mum three new books and below you can see what I’ve picked for her.

I watched the entirety of the Big Little Lies television series on the flight to New York last year. It’s tense, dark and incredibly addicted. A familiar and ugly feeling settled in my stomach as soon as I finished the final episode: Why didn’t I read the book first?! Since I can’t experience the story for the first time in Moriarty’s own words, I am giving my mother this very gift. Big Little Lies is a story of parents and children. In this thriller, an altercation between some of the children leads to feuds between the parents, a lot of lies and a lot of drama. The blurb asks, It was always going to end in tears, but how did it end in murder?

This tiny pink book is filled with useful tips from start to finish. Uwagba has compiled the most helpful manual for working women; from negotiating salaries to how to invoice and get over creative blocks, Uwagba covers it all. Although maybe best suited for women at the beginning of their creative careers, I still think every woman everywhere should read this little guide. We women aren’t yet equal in the workplace but books like this give women everywhere their own book-sized cheerleader to remind them that we definitely deserve to be. My mum has been an inspiring role model ever since I was born- way before story-time at night. I think mums like mine deserve a one hundred page book that offers some working tips and tricks for when there are grey areas or intimidating circumstances in the workplace.

My mum has always loved Fearne Cotton and when I found out that Cotton released her very own self-help, exercise-filled book, it seemed like something that could be interesting for my mum. Drawing on her struggle with depression, Cotton has written a book about happiness; she’s written about how to find joy each day and provided little exercises to inspire that happy feeling.

Not only will I be gifting my mother with these three books this Mother’s Day, but I’ll be giving her the gift that is reminding her just how much better physical books are. You’re welcome, mum.